Landfill Passes Available
Rowlett residents affected by the tornado may come to City Hall (4000 Main), the Rowlett Community Centre (5300 Main Street) or the Utility Billing Office (4004 Main Street, behind City Hall) to receive two landfill passes, each of which will allow you dispose of debris without charge twice in a calendar year (four trips to the landfill). The normal proof of a utility bill will be waived at this time, residents just need to present ID of some form. We realize that some residents lost many forms of identification and we will do our best to accommodate those without formal ID.

UPDATE - MARCH 1. 2016
Deadline for Debris Removal Final Pass – Week of March 14!Crowder Gulf has now completed their first pass of the affected area. Their second and final pass will begin the week of March 14. This allows residents and volunteers almost two more weeks, including two weekends, to clear, sort and pile debris at the curb in order to be included in this final pass. Currently, Crowder Gulf crews are working on removing the debris accumulated at the staging location near the water tower on PGBT between Main Street and Miller Road.

Please adhere to these debris separation and placement guidelines:
• Do not place debris in driveways or alleys.
• All debris MUST be placed off the street but in the right-of-way (area behind the curb). If the debris extends past the sidewalk into your yard (private property), it will not be removed.
• Debris should be separated as demonstrated in this Debris Separation Guidelines graphic.
• Place debris away from obstacles such as mail boxes, water meters and fire hydrants.

ROLL OFFS, DUMPSTER, PODS, STORAGE DEVICESPlease be advised that if you contract for ROLL OFFS, DUMPSTERS, PODS, OTHER STORAGE DEVICES or any stationary device of this nature, they must be placed on the sidewalk, in the driveway, or in the yard but not blocking fire hydrants, water or gas meters, or alleys. THEY MUST NOT BE PLACED IN THE STREET. If they are found blocking public access, public safety, public services, fire hydrants, alleys, water or gas meters, Rowlett staff will make an attempt to notify the owners to move them. If no response is received they will be removed at the owner’s expense and placed at Herfurth Park. This is imperative to public safety access and is a safety issue for all entities accessing these areas.

For any questions related to debris removal, or if you require assistance in placing a roll off or dumpster, please contact Wade Williams at 214-733-4045 or email For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. and we will meet you on site before you place anything that could be a potential obstruction or impediment to safety.

STORM DEBRIS REMOVAL AND TRASH PICKUP UPDATE 1-10-2016
Rowlett has been working around the clock, with the help of many other cities, to remove and dispose of debris. We have completed the first pass of all affected streets and are well into a second pass, far exceeding any expectations for an event of this magnitude. This progress is directly attributable to the incredible amount of support offered in the form of mutual aid from countless communities throughout the Metroplex, who have provided their manpower and equipment.

Currently, the City of Rowlett is vetting the next steps of this recovery phase and we are being very cautious with the decisions made to ensure the best interests of the entire community are considered. This storm may receive a major disaster declaration, which could make disaster-related costs including debris removal and monitoring eligible for FEMA reimbursement. All debris removal, regardless of a FEMA declaration, will be conducted in accordance with FEMA guidelines to allow for potential reimbursement. This will ensure that our efforts are eligible for such funding when and if it occurs.

Rowlett staff has applied for assistance and has met with FEMA officials, who have done a preliminary inspection of the region, and they are assisting Rowlett in accumulating the appropriate information to make the determination on the declaration. In the coming week FEMA officials will be returning with several subject matter experts and evaluators to get into the finer points of this determination. When this determination occurs we will make a public notification and provide additional information.

In the meantime, City staff and the mutual aid cities will continue to manage the debris removal efforts. KEEP IN MIND that no commercial debris or hazardous waste will be removed by the City. All debris placed in the right-of-way must be related to this disaster.

Homeowners should contact their insurance carrier about coverage for debris removal. Contractors hired for repair or demolition are required to remove and dispose of debris, rather than placing debris in the right-of-way. If debris is dumped in the right-of-way it will not be picked up by Waste Management or the City.

In response to some questions asked by affected residents, the City of Rowlett will not perform demolition on any homes. This is the homeowners responsibility and you will need to work with your insurance company to facilitate.

Homeowners and volunteers who place residential debris in the right-of-way should keep disaster debris separate from household garbage. Clean vegetative debris and recyclables should be placed separately from construction, demolition debris and mixed debris. Please place debris outside of travel lanes and drainage ditches and away from obstacles such as mail boxes, water meters and fire hydrants.

Currently, we estimate that Storm debris removal will continue for about 10 weeks. The first round of debris removal has actually been completed. The second round is nearly complete. We will make additional passes but homeowners, contractors and volunteers need to adhere to these guidelines to ensure a more safe and rapid recovery. The City will continue to send out communications specifying when the final debris collections will take place.

Here are some specific guidelines to assist residents with the process:
DO’s:
• DO place debris just behind the curb, do not block travel lanes or drainage ditches, driveways or alleys;
• DO keep disaster-related debris separate from regular household garbage;
• DO separate trash and debris according to its type (i.e. regular household garbage, construction debris, vegetation debris, household hazardous waste, "white goods" such as refrigerators, ac units, stoves, etc., and electronics).
• DO use white and/or clear garbage bags in order to expedite the identification of debris.
• DO place a tarp on hazardous waste debris in order to reduce the chances of having hazardous waste runoff.

DO NOT’s:
• DO NOT deposit hazardous waste in the right-of-way, this includes paint, petroleum products, oils, electronic materials, etc.;
• DO NOT direct paid contractors to place debris in the public right-of-way;
• DO NOT place debris in driveways or alleys;
• DO NOT place debris that is covered by insurance on the public right-of-way;
• DO NOT comingle household garbage with disaster-related debris; and
• DO NOT place debris near obstacles such as gas meters, water meters, fire hydrants or mail boxes.

WASTE COLLECTION:
Waste Management has begun to resume household waste collection services in the affected area for those still in their homes. They will only pick up normal household waste. They will not pick up concrete, bricks, roofing materials, or other construction materials. This is the responsibility of the homeowner and/or their insurance company.

If your Waste Management bins (polycarts) were damaged or lost as a result of this event, please contact Waste Management directly at 1-800-772-8653 so that you may receive replacements. Please note that recycling will be temporarily suspended in the affected area so that you can use either bin for recycled material or household trash. Waste Management will pick up the household waste where they can access it. In the event your household waste is not accessible, please contact Waste Management at 1-800-772-8653 and they will make arrangements to get this material disposed of properly. DO NOT THROW HOUSEHOLD WASTE INTO ROLL OFFS OR DUMPSTERS OR MIX IT WITH OTHER DEBRIS.